The eyes grab you first. They stare at you from the black-and-white photo, soft and, it seems, inquisitive. Zoom out, and you notice the man’s appearance. Well-dressed in a suit jacket, a white dress shirt and a tie that is knotted perfectly. His hair is short. His name is Benton James and, in 1924, he became the first African American graduate of Arizona State University, then known as Tempe Normal School.
ASU archivists hoping to learn more about early African American students